Apparatus and method for adaptively changing uplink power control scheme according to mobile status in a TDD mobile communication system

ABSTRACT

An apparatus and method for changing an uplink power control scheme according to mobile status in a TDD mobile communication system are provided. A subscriber station transmits to a base station a power control change request message including information about a requested power control scheme. Upon receipt of the power control change request message, the base station selects a power control scheme for the uplink of the subscriber station and transmits to the subscriber station a power control change command message including information about the selected power control scheme. The subscriber station extracts, upon receipt of the power control change command message from the base station, the power control scheme information from the power control change command message and selects a power control scheme according to the extracted information.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to an application entitled “Apparatus And Method For Adaptively Changing Uplink Power Control Scheme According To Mobile Status In A TDD Mobile Communication System” filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Aug. 20, 2004 and assigned Ser. No. 2004-65952, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for determining a power control scheme in a time division duplex (TDD) mobile communication system, and in particular, to an apparatus and method for changing an uplink power control scheme according to the status of a subscriber station (SS).

2. Description of the Related Art

As one of the duplex schemes, Time Division Duplex (TDD) uses two distinct sets of time slots on the same frequency for the uplink from a base station (BS) to a Subscriber Station (SS) and the downlink from the SS to the BS. Another major duplex scheme is frequency division duplex (FDD). FDD uses two distinct frequencies for the uplink and the downlink.

Unlike FDD, the uplink and the downlink share the same frequency band in TDD and are separated by time slots dedicated to them. That is, time slots are separately preset for the uplink signal and the downlink signal. Therefore, the uplink and downlink signals are transmitted only in their assigned time slots. TDD has the advantage of high frequency use efficiency.

The mobile communication system schedules bursty uplink/downlink packets. Particularly, the BS decides a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the resources to be allocated and already allocated resources in uplink/downlink packet scheduling for an SS. An MCS level to be used depends on the status of the SS. For the uplink scheduling, the BS takes into account the maximum transmit power of the SS. Since the transmit power of the SS is restricted to a set level, the BS performs scheduling taking into account the allocated resources, an MCS level to be applied for the resources, and the transmit power limit of the SS. To do so, the scheduler of the BS must have knowledge of the power headroom or transmit power of the SS.

Typically, the mobile communication system uses downlink and uplink power control to increase call capacity and achieve good call quality. That is, if the BS receives a signal from an SS at a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) that ensures the minimum required call quality by controlling the transmit power of all of the SSs, system capacity can be maximized. In the case where the signal from the SS is received in the BS at a higher power level, the performance of the SS is increased at the expense of increasing interference from other SSs sharing the same channel. As a result, system capacity is decreased or the call quality of other subscribers drops.

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM)/Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) has recently been proposed as a physical layer scheme for a 4^(th) generation mobile communication system. The above-described power control has also emerged as a challenging issue to the OFDM/OFDMA system.

OFDM/OFDMA is a transmission scheme based on the IEEE 802.16 standard, in which a serial modulation symbol sequence is transmitted as parallel data. OFDM/OFDMA operates in TDD. In OFDM, 256 modulation symbols are Fast-Fourier-Transformed (FFT-processed) to one OFDM symbol, whereas in OFDMA, one OFDM symbol is formed with more modulation symbols. According to the IEEE 802.16-based OFDMA, the subcarriers of one OFDM symbol are grouped into subchannels and a plurality of OFDM symbols form one frame.

FIG. 1 illustrates an OFDMA frame structure specified by IEEE 802.16. The horizontal axis represents OFDM symbol indexes and the vertical axis represents subchannel indexes.

Referring to FIG. 1, an OFDMA frame is comprised of a plurality of bursts each marked by a square on a time-frequency plane. Since the frame is time-division-duplexed, the downlink period and the uplink period can be flexibly controlled. For example, k^(th) through (k+8)^(th) symbols are allocated to the downlink and (k+9)^(th) through (k+12)^(th) symbols are allocated to the uplink, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In the OFDMA frame, a DL/UL MAP burst delivers configuration information (e.g. position, length, and MCS level) about a plurality of downlink/uplink bursts allocated to the frame. The bursts other than the DL/UL MAP burst transfer a DL/UL-Medium Access Control (MAC) layer control message and downlink/uplink data packets. Particularly, the control message bursts can be a power control change request/command message burst for controlling the power control scheme of each SS, or a power control message burst for controlling the transmit power of each SS. The bursts are time-division-multiple-accessed between SSs and the BS. Transmission gaps called transmit/receive transition gap (TTG) and receive/transmit transition gap (RTG) are inserted between the downlink and uplink periods.

Meanwhile, each SS performs initial ranging and periodic ranging to correct time and frequency errors in uplink bursts and control power. When the SS attempts ranging, the BS measures the power of a signal from the SS and transmits to the SS a MAC message including a compensation value for signal power loss caused by path attenuation and rapid signal power change.

Now a description will be made of an uplink power control method in a normal mode in the OFDM/OFDMA TDD system. The uplink power control is executed in two steps.

In the first step, the BS carries out power control. The BS scheduler determines available resources and an available MCS level for uplink transmission within the transmit power range of an SS of interest by ΔP=SNR _(req) −SNR _(UL,RX)+(BW _(req) −BW _(RX))+MARGIN_(TX)≦Headroom  (1) where SNR_(req) and BW_(req) respectively denote the required SNR and bandwidth for applying an MCS level to the current packet to be scheduled. SNR_(UL,RX) and BW_(RX) denote the received SNR and allocated bandwidth of a reference signal, respectively. The reference signal is a previously received uplink burst signal, a data signal or a control signal. MARGIN_(TX) is a term that represents a channel change. That, this margin is set considering the difference between the time of scheduling based on Equation (1) and the actual time of transmitting an uplink signal. Headroom is the transmit power margin of the SS, calculated by subtracting the current transmit power from the maximum transmit power of the SS. The BS is assumed to have knowledge of the maximum transmit power of the SS. ΔP satisfying Equation (1) ensures that the SS transmits an uplink signal with the resources and MCS level scheduled within the limited power.

In the second step, the SS performs power control. The uplink power control is considered in two ways: closed-loop power control and open-loop power control.

The uplink closed power control is a scheme of controlling the transmit power of the SS according to a command from the BS. The BS notifies the SS of a required power increment/decrement ΔP as well as the resources and MCS level scheduled by Equation (1).

The uplink open-loop power control is a scheme of deciding the uplink transmit power in the SS itself. The BS simply tells the SS the resources and MCS level decided by Equation (1) and the SS then computes the uplink transmit power of an uplink signal to be transmitted using the allocated resources by

$\begin{matrix} \begin{matrix} {P = {{PL}_{UL} + {SNR}_{req} + {NI}_{{UL},{RX}} + {BW}_{req} + {MARGIN}_{RX}}} \\ {= {{PL}_{DL} + {SNR}_{req} + {NI}_{{UL},{RX}} + {BW}_{req} + {MARGIN}_{RX}}} \\ {= {{PL}_{{DL},{TX}} - {PL}_{{DL},{RX}} + {SNR}_{req} + {NI}_{{UL},{RX}} + {BW}_{req} +}} \\ {{MARGIN}_{RX}} \end{matrix} & (2) \end{matrix}$ where PL_(UL) and PL_(DL) denote uplink and downlink path losses, respectively. In view of the TDD system, these two values are almost the same. The SS can estimate PL_(DL) using the transmit power of the BS, P_(DL,TX) and the downlink received power P_(DL,RX) of the SS. NI_(UL,RX) is the power of a signal and interference measured at a receiver of the BS, common to all of the SSs. SNR_(req) and BW_(req) respectively denote the required SNR and bandwidth for an MCS level to be applied to a packet. MARGIN_(RX) is a term that represents the difference between the time to which Equation (2) is computed for application and the actual uplink transmission time.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a signal flow for a conventional closed-loop power control.

Referring to FIG. 2, the SS transmits a reference signal and information about the uplink transmit power of the reference signal (UL_Tx, Power) in an uplink burst to the BS in step 201.

In step 203, the BS (scheduler) calculates the received SNR of the reference signal and determines resources, an MCS level, and a power increment ΔP for the SS by Equation (1). Headroom involved in Equation (1) can be calculated using the information of the transmit power (UL_Tx, Power).

In step 205, the BS allocates the uplink resources to the SS according to the scheduling (UL_MAP) and transmits a power control command (or the power increment) to the SS. The resource assignment (UL_MAP) information is delivered in a UL-MAP burst and the power control command is set in a DL burst containing a predetermined control message.

The SS determines its uplink transmit power according to the power control command in step 207 and transmits packets using the allocated resources in step 209. Thereafter, step 203 (BS scheduling) through step 209 (uplink transmission) are repeated.

As described before, the power control command is selectively transmitted in the closed-loop power control. Only if the channel status is changed and the SNR of an uplink received signal is changed, does the BS transmit a power control command to the SS. In the absence of the power control command, the SS determines its uplink transmit power based on the previous uplink transmit power by P _(new) =P _(Last) +SNR _(New) −SNR _(Last)+(BW _(New) −BW _(Last))  (3) where P_(new) and P_(Last) denote the new transmit power and the previous transmit power, respectively, SNR_(New) and SNR_(Last) denote a required new SNR and the previous required SNR, respectively, and BW_(New) and BW_(Last) denote a new allocated SNR and the previous allocated SNR, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a signal flow for a conventional open-loop power control.

Referring to FIG. 3, the SS transmits a reference signal and information about the uplink transmit power of the reference signal (UL_Tx, Power) in an uplink burst to the BS in step 301.

In step 303, the BS (scheduler) calculates the received SNR of the reference signal and determines resources, an MCS level, and a power increment ΔP for the SS by Equation (1). Headroom involved in Equation (1) can be calculated using the information of the transmit power (UL_Tx, Power).

In step 305, the BS allocates the uplink resources to the SS according to the scheduling (UL_MAP) and transmits the uplink resource assignment (UL_MAP) information to the SS. Compared to the closed-loop power control, a power control command is not transmitted in the open-loop power control. Instead, the BS broadcasts in a DL-MAP burst P_(DL,TX) and NI_(UL,RX) necessary for the computation of Equation (2) to all of the SSs.

The SS determines its uplink transmit power using the resource assignment information by Equation (2) in step 307 and transmits an uplink signal using the allocated resources in step 309. At the same time, the SS tells the BS the current transmit power. Thereafter, step 303 (BS scheduling) through step 309 (uplink transmission) are repeated.

As described earlier, in contrast to the closed-loop power control, the open-loop power control scheme provide to the BS information about the current uplink transmit power along with the uplink transmission because the SS can change the uplink transmit power freely. Equation (2) that the SS uses in deciding the transmit power includes a channel variation which is not known to the BS and thus the headroom of the SS is changed, unnoticed by the BS. Therefore, the SS tells the BS the current transmit power at every uplink transmission so that the BS can update the headroom.

On the other hand, in the closed-loop power control, the transmit power of the SS is changed by a power control command from the BS or a transmit power calculation formula (Equation (3)) known to the BS. Accordingly, the BS can distinguish a transmit power change from a channel change in the SNR estimate of an uplink signal. That is, the BS can execute a power control taking the channel change into account, as shown in Equation (1). The headroom can also be calculated using the previous headroom and the previous power control command or using the transmit power of the SS that the bas station can estimate by Equation (3). Consequently, the SS does not need to notify the BS of its transmit power at every uplink transmission in the closed-loop power control.

The features of the two power control schemes are summarized below in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Closed-loop power control Open-loop power control Downlink feedback Power control P_(DL,TX), NI_(UL,RX) command Uplink feedback none Uplink transmit power Scheduling margin MARGIN_(TX) MARGIN_(TX) Maximum transmit power MARGIN_(TX) MARGIN_(RX) margin

As noted from Table 1, the closed-loop and open-loop power control schemes differ in uplink/downlink feedback, scheduling margin, and maximum transmit power margin. The uplink/downlink feedback has been described before. The scheduling margin is MARGIN_(TX) in both power control schemes because a scheduling time point coincides with an actual uplink transmission time in them. The maximum transmit power margin is defined as the maximum difference between a required transmit power satisfying SNR_(req) at the receiver and an actual transmit power. For the closed-loop power control, the maximum transmit power margin is MARGIN_(TX) since the actual transmit power is decided at scheduling. For the open-loop power control, the actual transmit power is decided by Equation (2) and thus the maximum transmit power margin is MARGIN_(RX). The scheduling margin leads to resource assignment loss, and the maximum transmit power margin results in an increase in total system interference.

If the SS moves slowly, the closed-loop power control performs better on the whole. Because the channel does not change much at a low mobile velocity, the power control command is not issued frequently and thus the amount of downlink feedback information is small. MARGIN_(TX) affected by the channel variation is also very small. Also, the scheduling is done and the transmit power is decided according to the actual uplink channel status, as in Equation (1). Therefore, the uplink power control can be performed with high reliability.

On the contrary, if the SS moves fast, the open-loop power control outperforms the closed-loop power control. The channel changes greatly at a high mobile velocity and thus the number of occurrences of the power control command in the closed-loop power control is approximately equal to the number of transmit power feedbacks in the open-loop power control. However, because MARGIN_(TX) MARGIN_(RX), the closed-loop power control tracks the channel variation consuming much resources, or cannot track the channel variation at all. As a result, the closed-loop power control causes greater interference than the open-loop power control in the case where the SS moves fast.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As described above, the closed-loop and open-loop power control schemes offer their benefits according to the velocity of the mobile terminal. Nevertheless, conventional systems adopt only one of the two power control schemes. In another case, the open-loop power control applies to an initial access, and the closed-loop power control applies thereafter. Thus, the conventional systems do not fully utilize the advantages of the closed-loop and open-loop power control schemes.

An object of the present invention is to substantially solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages below. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for adaptively determining a power control scheme according to mobile velocity in a mobile communication system.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for adaptively determining a power control scheme according to mobile velocity in an OFDM/OFDMA TDD mobile communication system.

The above objects are achieved by providing an apparatus and method for adaptively changing an uplink power control scheme according to mobile status in a TDD mobile communication system.

According to an aspect of the present invention, in a base station in a mobile communication system supporting a plurality of uplink power control schemes, a mobility estimator generates a mobility index by estimating the velocity of a subscriber station, and a power controller selects a power control scheme for the uplink of a subscriber station from among the plurality of power control schemes by comparing the mobility index with a threshold.

According to another aspect of the present invention, in a subscriber station device in a mobile communication system supporting a plurality of power control schemes, a MAC entity extracts, upon receipt of a power control change command message from a base station, information about a power control scheme requested by the base station from the power control change command message, and a power controller selects a power control scheme according to the extracted information received from the MAC entity and determines the transmit power of an uplink burst according to the selected power control scheme.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, in a method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a mobile communication system supporting a plurality of uplink power control schemes, a base station selects a power control scheme for the uplink of a subscriber station according to the status of the subscriber station and transmits to the subscriber station a power control change command message including information about the selected power control scheme. The subscriber station extracts, upon receipt of the power control change command message from the base station, the power control scheme information from the power control change command message and selects a power control scheme according to the extracted information.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, in a method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a mobile communication system supporting a plurality of uplink power control schemes, a subscriber station transmits to a base station a power control change request message including information about a requested power control scheme. The base station selects, upon receipt of the power control change request message, a power control scheme for the uplink of the subscriber station and transmits a power control change command message including information about the selected power control scheme to the subscriber station. The subscriber station extracts, upon receipt of the power control change command message from the base station, the power control scheme information from the power control change command message and selects a power control scheme according to the information extracted by the subscriber station.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, in a method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a mobile communication system supporting a plurality of uplink power control schemes, a base station generates a mobility index by estimating the velocity of a subscriber station, selects a power control scheme for the uplink of a subscriber station according to the mobility index, and transmits to the subscriber station a power control change command message including information about the selected power control scheme, if the selected power control scheme is different from a previous power control scheme.

According to yet further aspect of the present invention, in a method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a mobile communication system supporting a plurality of power control schemes, a subscriber station extracts from the power control change command message, upon receipt of a power control change command message from a base station, information about a power control scheme requested by the base station, selects a power control scheme according to the extracted information, and determines the transmit power of an uplink burst according to the selected power control scheme.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an OFDMA uplink/downlink frame structure in an IEEE 802.16 OFDMA system;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a signal flow for a conventional closed-loop power control;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a signal flow for a conventional open-loop power control;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a BS in a TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating power control state transitions of the BS depending on which power control scheme is selected in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for determining an uplink power control scheme in the BS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating power control state transition of the SS depending on which power control scheme is selected in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for determining an uplink power control scheme in the SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for requesting a power control change to the BS in the SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flow of messages exchanged between the BS and the SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

The present invention is intended to provide an apparatus and method for selecting a closed-loop power control scheme or an open-loop power control scheme for uplink power control according to mobile status in a mobile communication system. While the present invention will be described in the context of an IEEE 802.16e communication system, for the sake of convenience, the power control scheme changing method of the present invention is applicable to all other Time Division Duplex (TDD) communication systems.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a BS in a TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The BS includes a MAC entity 401 connected to a higher layer, a TDD transmission MODEM 403, a TDD reception MODEM 405, a duplexer 407, an uplink power controller 409, a mobility estimator 411, and a scheduler 413.

Referring to FIG. 4, the MAC entity 401 receives transmission data from the higher layer and processes the received data in compliance with the connection protocol of the TDD transmission MODEM 403. The MAC entity 401 receives data from the TDD reception MODEM 405, processes the received data in compliance with the connection protocol of the higher layer, and provides the processed data to the higher layer.

The TDD transmission MODEM 403, which includes a channel encoder, a modulator, and an RF transmission unit, converts the data received from the MAC entity 401 to a form suitable for radio transmission. The modulator performs spreading in a code division multiple access (CDMA) communication system, and OFDM modulation (IFFT) in an OFDM communication system.

The TDD reception MODEM 405, which includes an RF reception unit, a demodulator, and a channel decoder, recovers a radio signal received from the duplexer 407, and provides the recovered signal to the MAC entity 401.

The duplexer 407 provides a signal received in TDD from an antenna (uplink signal) to the TDD reception MODEM 405, and provides the transmission signal received from the TDD transmission MODEM 403 (downlink signal) to the antenna.

The scheduler 413 schedules uplink and downlink data transmission according to data transmission status and the channel statuses of the individual SSs, and orders the Subscriber Station (SS)s to transmit and receive data as scheduled. In an IEEE 802.16 communication system, for example, the scheduler 413 generates UL-MAP and DL-MAP as uplink and downlink configuration information, and the MAC entity 401 receives an uplink signal and transmits a downlink signal according to the UL-MAP and DL-MAP from the scheduler 413.

The mobility estimator 411 determines a mobility index by estimating the mobility status of an individual SS from a radio signal received from the SS. Many mobility status estimation algorithms are available and any one of them can be assumed to be used herein. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, a higher mobility index indicates a higher mobile velocity.

The uplink power controller 409 is responsible for the closed-loop or open-loop power control. It determines the resources and an MCS level available to each mobile terminal in a predetermined method (e.g. Equation (1)) and tells the scheduler 413 the determined resources and the MCS level. In the case of the closed-loop power control, the uplink power controller 409 generates a power control command for an individual SS to the MAC entity 401. The power control schemes have been described in detail and their description is not provided herein.

In accordance with the present invention, the uplink power controller 409 determines a power control scheme for the SS based on the mobility index received from the mobility estimator 411. This determination can be made every set time period or upon receipt from the SS of a power control change request. If the power control scheme is changed for the SS, the uplink power controller 409 provides to the MAC entity 401 a power control command for the SS. The MAC entity generates a power control change command message according to the power control change command and provides it to the TDD transmission MODEM 403.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating power control state transitions of the BS depending on which power control scheme is selected in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, a status variable called power control mode change (PMC) is used in deciding a power control scheme. If PMC is ‘0’, it indicates selection of the closed-loop power control. If the PMC is ‘1’, it indicates selection of the open-loop power control.

In the state where PMC=0, if the mobility index received from the mobility estimator 411 is less than a threshold, the state PMC=0 is kept, as indicated by reference numeral 505. If the mobility index is greater than the threshold, the state PMC=0 is transitioned to the state PMC=1, as indicated by reference numeral 511. Similarly, in the state where PMC=1, if the mobility index is greater than the threshold, the state PMC=1 is kept, as indicated by reference numeral 509. If the mobility index is less than the threshold, the state PMC=1 is transitioned to the state PMC=0, as indicated by reference numeral 507. If the PMC value is changed, this implies that a different power control scheme from the previous one has been selected. Thus, a power control change command is transmitted to the SS, notifying the SS of the change of the power control scheme.

With reference to the state transition diagram of FIG. 5, the operation of the BS will be described below.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for determining in the BS an uplink power control scheme in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As stated before, a decision can be made as to which power control scheme is to be used at a set time period or upon receipt of a power control change request from the SS. These two methods can also be used in combination. The following description is made under the assumption that the decision is made periodically.

Referring to FIG. 6, the BS determines if a predetermined time period has elapsed and thus if it is time to set a power control scheme in step 601. If it is time to set a power control scheme, the mobility estimator 411 compares a calculated mobility index with the threshold in step 603. In step 605, the BS compares the mobility index with the threshold. If the mobility index is less than the threshold, the BS sets PMC to 0 in step 607. Since the mobility index being less than the threshold means that the SS moves slowly, the power control scheme is set to the closed-loop power control. On the contrary, if the mobility index is greater than the threshold, the BS sets PMC to 1 in step 609. Since the mobility index being greater than the threshold means that the SS moves fast, the power control scheme is set to the open-loop power control.

In step 611, the BS determines if the PMC has been toggled by comparing the power control scheme set currently with the previous power control scheme. If PMC has not been changed, the BS returns to step 601. If PMC has been changed, the BS transmits to the SS a power control change command message including information the changed power control scheme in step 613 and returns to step 601. The detailed structure of the power control change command message is illustrated below in Table 3.

As described above, the BS decides whether to change the power control scheme and the SS changes its power control scheme only by the power control change command received from the BS.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The SS of the present invention includes a MAC entity 701 connected to a higher layer, a TDD transmission MODEM 703, a TDD reception MODEM 705, a duplexer 707, a power controller 709, and a mobility estimator 711.

Referring to FIG. 7, the MAC entity 701 receives transmission data from the higher layer and processes the received data in compliance with the connection protocol of the TDD transmission MODEM 703. The MAC entity 701 receives data from the TDD reception MODEM 705, processes the received data in compliance with the connection protocol of the higher layer, and provides the processed data to the higher layer. The functions of the MAC entity 701 are performed as commanded by the BS scheduler 413. In the IEEE 802.16 communication system, for example, the scheduler 413 generates UL-MAP and DL-MAP as uplink and downlink configuration information, and the MAC entity 701 of the SS receives a downlink signal and transmits an uplink signal according to the DL-MAP and UL-MAP received from the scheduler 413.

The TDD transmission MODEM 703, which includes a channel encoder, a modulator, and an RF transmission unit, converts the data received from the MAC entity 701 to a form suitable for radio transmission. Particularly, the TDD transmission MODEM 703 adjusts the transmit power of the uplink signal according to an uplink transmit power value received from the power controller 709.

The TDD reception MODEM 705, which includes an RF unit, a demodulator, and a channel decoder, recovers a radio signal received from the duplexer 707, and provides the recovered signal to the MAC entity 701. The duplexer 707 provides a signal received in TDD from an antenna (downlink signal) to the TDD reception MODEM 705, and provides the transmission signal received from the TDD transmission MODEM 703 (uplink signal) to the antenna.

The mobility estimator 711 determines a mobility index by estimating the mobility status of the SS from a radio downlink signal received from the BS, and provides the mobility index to the power controller 709. Many mobility status estimation algorithms are available and any one of them can be used herein. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention, it is assumed that a higher mobility index indicates a higher mobile velocity.

The power controller 709 is responsible for the closed-loop or open-loop power control. For the closed-loop power control, the power controller 709 determines uplink transmit power according to a power control command received from the BS or by Equation (3), and provides the uplink power transmit power value to the TDD transmission MODEM 703. For the open-loop power control, the power controller 709 determines the uplink transmit power by Equation (2) and provides it to the TDD transmission MODEM 703. In the case of calculating the uplink transmit power by Equation (2) or Equation (3), information about required bandwidth and SNR is acquired from the resource assignment information (UL-MAP) received from the BS. These power control schemes have been described before in detail and their description is not provided herein.

In accordance with the present invention, the power controller 709 adaptively selects a power control scheme according to the power control change command received from the BS. To be more specific, the power control change command message is provided to the MAC entity 701 through the TDD transmission MODEM 705. The MAC entity 701 extracts a power control change command indicating a power control scheme from the message. The power controller 709 then selects a power control scheme according to the power control change command received from the MAC entity 701.

The power controller 709 can request changing the uplink power control scheme to the BS. Specifically, the power controller 709 selects a power control scheme according to the mobility index received from the mobility estimator 711 and if the selected power control scheme is different from the previous one, the power controller 709 transmits the power control change request to the MAC entity 701. Thus the MAC entity 701 generates a power control change request message and transmits it to the BS. In this way, the SS only needs to request the change of a power control scheme and the BS makes a final decision about the power control scheme.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating power control state transition of the SS depending on which power control scheme is selected in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8, PMC is used in deciding a power control scheme. If PMC is ‘0’, it indicates selection of the closed-loop power control. If the PMC is ‘1’, it indicates selection of the open-loop power control.

In the state where PMC=0, if the power control change command received from the BS indicates the closed-loop power control, the state PMC=0 (closed-loop power control) is kept, as indicated by reference numeral 805. If the power control change command indicates the open-loop power control, the state PMC=0 is transitioned to the state PMC=1 (open-loop power control), as indicated by reference numeral 811. Similarly, in the state where PMC=1, if the power control change command indicates the open-loop power control, the state PMC=1 (open-loop power control) is kept, as indicated by reference numeral 809. If the power control change command indicates the closed-loop power control, the state PMC=1 is transitioned to the state PMC=0 (closed-loop power control), as indicated by reference numeral 807. In this way, the SS determines the power control scheme according to the power control change command from the BS.

With reference to the state transition diagram of FIG. 8, the operation of the SS will be described below.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for determining an uplink power control scheme in the SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the SS determines if a power control change command message has been received from the BS in step 901. Upon receipt of the power control change command message, the SS checks in step 903 a power control change command set in the message. In step 905, the SS determines if the power control change command indicates the closed-loop power control. If it does, the SS sets PMC to 0 (closed-loop power control) in step 907 and returns to step 901. If the power control change command indicates the open-loop power control, the SS sets the PMC to 1 (open-loop power control) in step 909 and returns to step 901.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an operation for requesting a power control change to the BS in the SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the SS compares a mobility index calculated by the mobility estimator 711 with a predetermined threshold in step 1001 and determines if the mobility index is less than the threshold in step 1003. If the mobility index is less than the threshold, the SS sets PMC to 0 (closed-loop power control) in step 1005. Since the mobility index being less than the threshold means that the SS moves slowly, the power control scheme is set to the closed-loop power control. On the contrary, if the mobility index is greater than the threshold, the SS sets PMC to 1 (open-loop power control) in step 1007. Since the mobility index being greater than the threshold means that the SS moves fast, the power control scheme is set to the open-loop power control.

In step 1009, the SS determines if PMC has been toggled by comparing the power control scheme set currently (PMC′) with the previous power control scheme (PMC). If PMC has not been changed, the SS returns to step 1001. If PMC has been changed, the SS transmits to the BS a power control change request message including information about the changed power control scheme in step 1011 and returns to step 1001. The detailed structure of the power control change request message is illustrated below in Table 2.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating a flow of messages exchanged between the BS and the SS in the TDD communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Particularly, the messages are used in the process of requesting changing by the SS a power control scheme to the BS and determining a power control scheme upon receipt of the power control change request by the BS.

Referring to FIG. 11, when it is necessary to change a power control scheme, the SS transmits to the BS in step 1101 a power control change request message including information about a requested power control scheme. The format of the power control change request message is illustrated below in Table 2.

Upon receipt of the power control change request message, the BS determines a power control scheme based on the mobility index of the SS in step 1103. If the determined power control scheme is different from the previous one, the BS transmits to the SS in step 1105 a power control change command message including information about the determined power control scheme. The format of the power control change command message is illustrated below in Table 3.

Upon receipt of the power control change command message, the SS sets in step 1107 a power control scheme according to a power control change command set in the received message.

As described above, the SS requests the change of a power control scheme and the BS transmits a power control change command to the SS in response to the power control change request. In another case, the BS can transmit the power control change command according to the mobility index to the SS, without receiving the power control change request. The power control change request message is transmitted to the BS in a UL burst and the power control change command message is transmitted to the SS in a DL burst, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Configuration information about the UL burst and the DL burst are delivered to the SS in a UL-MAP burst and a DL-MAP burst. That is, the SS transmits the power control change request message and receives the power control change command message using the MAP information received from the BS.

Table 2 below illustrates an example of the power control change request message depicted in FIG. 11, which can be transmitted from the SS in the IEEE 802.16 communication system. It is delivered to the BS in a UL burst.

TABLE 2 Syntax Size Notes PMC_REQ message format{   Management Message Type=62 8 bits Type=62   Power control mode change 1 bit 0: Closed-loop power control mode 1: Open-loop power control mode   UL Tx power 8 bits UL Tx power level for the burst that carries this header (11.1.1). When the Tx power is different from slot to slot, the maximum value is reported   Reserved 7 bits }

Referring to Table 2, “Management Message Type” is a serial number that identifies the message in the IEEE 802.16 communication system. It can be changed according to a system standardization. “Power control mode change” indicates a requested power control scheme. It is set to ‘0’ for the closed-loop power control and to ‘1’ for the open-loop power control. “UL Tx power” indicates the transmit power value of the uplink burst that delivers the power control change request. Encoding of the transmit power value is performed in compliance with IEEE 802.16, which will not be described in detail herein. The BS can utilize the transmit power value for power control, set in the uplink burst with the power control change request. “Reserved” represents bits inserted to match the total size of the message in bytes.

Table 3 below illustrates an example of the power control change command message depicted in FIG. 11, which can be transmitted from the BS in the IEEE 802.16 communication system. It is delivered to the base mobile in a DL burst.

TABLE 3 Syntax Size Notes PMC_RSP message format{  Management 8 bits Type=63  Message  Type=63  Power control 1 bit 0: Closed-loop power control mode  mode change 1: Open-loop power control mode  Start frame 3 bits 3 LSBs of frame number when the indicated power control mode is activated  If (Power 7 bits  control mode  change=0)   Power adjust 8 bits Signed integer, which expresses the change in power level (in multiples of 0.25 dB) that the SS shall apply to its current transmission power. When subchannelization is employed, the subscriber shall interpret the power offset adjustment as a required change to the transmitted power density  else   Offset_(perSS) 8 bits Signed integer, which expresses the change in power level (in multiples of 0.2 dB) that the SS shall apply to the open-loop power control formula in 8.4.10.3.1.  Reserved 4 bits }

Referring to Table 3, “Management Message Type” is a serial number that identifies the message in the IEEE 802.16 communication system. It can be changed according to a system standardization. “Power control mode change” indicates a requested power control scheme. It is set to ‘0’ for the closed-loop power control and to ‘1’ for the open-loop power control. “Start frame” indicates a frame in which the indicated power control scheme starts to be applied in the IEEE 802.16 communication system. If the indicated power control scheme is the closed-loop power control, a power control command “Power adjust” about the transmit power of the SS is transmitted. In the case of the open-loop power control, an offset value “Offset_(perSS)” is transmitted to be reflected in MARGIN_(RX) of Equation (2). This offset value is specific to the SS, like the change of link performance caused by channel selectivity and the diversity gain of BS antennas. In this case, MARGIN_(RX) reflects the channel status of the SS as well as the time delay until the power control scheme is applied.

Table 4 below illustrates an example of a bandwidth request and uplink transmit power report message that can be transmitted by the SS in the IEEE 802.16 communication system.

TABLE 4

Referring to Table 4, the bandwidth request and uplink transmit power report message is a modification to an existing IEEE 802.16 bandwidth request message. In general, uplink communications starts with a bandwidth request from the SS in the IEEE 802.16 communication system. Thus, the bandwidth request message was defined in the IEEE 802.16 communication system. Assuming that the uplink communications start with the bandwidth request from the SS, an uplink message transmitted from the SS when the procedure illustrated in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3 can be the bandwidth request message. Yet, this message cannot be used as a reference signal for power control in the procedure because it does not have information about uplink transmit power. Accordingly, the SS transmits a bandwidth request and an uplink transmit power value together in the present invention. In this context, the bandwidth request and uplink transmit power report message illustrated in Table 4 is designed to serve as the reference signal for power control. Particularly, this message is in a control message format called a header according to IEEE 802.16.

In Table 4, “HT (Header Type)” indicates a header type. It is set to ‘1’ all the time. “EC (Encryption Control)” indicates if the payload following the header is encrypted or not. “EC” is always set to ‘1’. The bandwidth request and uplink transmit power report message is configured to have a header only, without payload. “Type” indicates the type of the bandwidth request header. It can be changed according to standardization. “BR” is short for Bandwidth Request. It indicates the amount of uplink data in bytes. “UL Tx Power” indicates the transmit power value of a UL burst that carries the bandwidth request and uplink transmit power report message. Encoding of the transmit power value performed in compliance with IEEE 802.16, and its description will not be provided herein. The BS can utilize the transmit power for power control transmit, set in the uplink burst with the bandwidth request and uplink transmit power report message. “CID (Connection ID)” is a 16-bit IEEE 802.16 connection ID. “HCS (Header Check Sequence)” is a 8-bit cyclic redundancy check (CRC) value for the message, to be used for error detection in the BS. The CRC operation is based on IEEE 802.16 and its description will not be provided herein.

In accordance with the present invention as described above, an uplink power control scheme is changed in a TDD communication system. Therefore, the uplink power control can be carried out more efficiently. That is, an efficient uplink power control is provided by fully utilizing the advantages of the closed-loop and open-loop power control schemes.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, they are merely exemplary applications. For example, while the closed-loop power control and the open-loop power control have been described as available power control schemes, the present invention is applicable to further-divided power control schemes. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A method of determining an uplink power control mode in a broadband wireless communication system supporting an open loop power control and a closed loop power control, the method comprising: transmitting a power control change request message from a subscriber station (SS) to base station (BS) to change a power control mode; deciding, by the BS, to change the power control mode between the open loop power control and the closed loop power control; and transmitting a power control change response message from the BS to the SS including the decided power control mode, wherein the power control change response message includes a power control mode change field indicating the decided power control mode, a start frame field indicating a frame number as to when the indicated power control mode is activated, a power adjust field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to its current transmission power, if the indicated power control mode is the closed-loop power control, and an Offset_(perSS) field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to an open loop power control formula, if the indicated power control mode is the open-loop power control.
 2. A method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a Base Station (BS) of a wireless communication system supporting at least two uplink power control schemes, the method comprising: receiving from a Subscriber Station (SS), a power control change request message including information about a requested power control scheme; and transmitting a power control change command message to the SS, wherein the power control change request message includes a power control mode change field indicating a power control scheme requested by the SS, and an UpLink (UL) Transmission (Tx) power field indicating a transmit power of an uplink burst that carries the power control change request message, and wherein the power control change command message includes a power control mode change field indicating a power control scheme, a start frame field indicating a frame number at which the indicated power control scheme is activated, a power adjust field indicating a change in power level that the stations should apply to its current transmission power, if the indicated power control scheme is a closed-loop power control scheme, and an Offset_(perSS) field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to an open loop power control formula, if the indicated power control scheme is an open-loop power control scheme.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein transmitting the power control change command message to the SS comprises: deciding a power control scheme for an uplink of the SS; comparing the decided power control scheme with a previous power control scheme; and transmitting the power control change command to the SS, if the decided power control scheme is different from the previous power control scheme.
 4. A method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a Subscriber Station (SS) for a wireless communication system supporting at least two uplink power control schemes, the method comprising: transmitting, to a Base Station (BS), a power control change request message including information about a requested power control scheme; and wherein the power control change request message includes a power control mode change field indicating the requested power control scheme by the SS, and an Uplink (UL) Transmission (Tx) power field indicating a transmit power of an uplink burst that carries the power control change request message, and wherein the power control change command message includes a power control mode change field indicating a decided power control scheme, a start frame field indicating a frame number at which the indicated power control scheme is activated, a power adjust field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to its current transmission power if the indicated power control scheme is a closed-loop power control scheme, and an Offset_(perSS) field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to an open-loop power control formula if the indicated power control scheme is an open-loop power control scheme.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising determining by the subscriber station, whether to change a power control scheme based on the velocity of the subscriber station.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein transmitting the power control change to the BS comprising of: deciding the power control scheme according a status of the SS; comparing the decided power control scheme with a previous power control scheme; and transmitting the power control change request message to the BS, if the decided power control scheme is different from the previous power control scheme.
 7. The method of claim 4, further comprising transmitting a bandwidth request message to the BS, if the SS requests a bandwidth from the BS, wherein the bandwidth request message includes a Bandwidth Request (BR) field indicating an amount of uplink data to be transmitted and a UL Tx Power field indicating a transmit power of an uplink burst that carries the bandwidth request message.
 8. A method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a Base Station (BS) of a wireless communication system supporting at least two uplink power control schemes, the method comprising: deciding a power control scheme for an uplink of a Subscriber Station (SS); and transmitting a power control change command message including information about the decided power control scheme to the SS, wherein the power control change command message includes a power control mode change field indicating the decided power control scheme, a start frame field indicating a frame number at which the indicated power control scheme is activated, a power adjust field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to its current transmission power if the indicated power control scheme is a closed-loop power control scheme, and an Offset_(perSS) field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to an open-loop power control formula, if the indicated power control scheme is the-an open-loop power control scheme.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein deciding the power control scheme is performed, upon request from the SS.
 10. The method of the claim 8, wherein transmitting the power control change command message to the SS: comparing the decided power control scheme with a previous power control scheme; and transmitting the power control command message to the SS, if the decided power control scheme is different from the previous power control scheme.
 11. A method of determining an uplink power control scheme in a Subscriber Station (SS) of a wireless communication system supporting at least two power control schemes, the method comprising: receiving a power control change command message from a Base Station (BS); extracting information about a decided power control scheme from the power control change command message; selecting a power control scheme according to the extracted information; and determining a transmit power of an uplink signal according to the selected power control scheme; wherein the power control change command message includes a power control mode change field indicating the decided power control scheme, a start frame field indicating a frame number at which the indicated power control scheme is activated, a power adjust field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to its current transmission power, if the indicated power control scheme is a closed-loop power control scheme, and an Offset_(perSS) field indicating a change in power level that the SS should apply to an open-loop power control formula, if the indicated power control scheme is an open-loop power control scheme.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting a bandwidth request message to the BS, if the SS requests a bandwidth from the BS; wherein the bandwidth request message includes a Bandwidth Request (BR) field indicating an amount of uplink data to be transmitted and an UpLink (UL) Transmission (Tx) power field indicating a transmit power of an uplink burst that carries the bandwidth request message. 